Ice Ice Baby

This past October, Alex and I took quite an adventurous vacation to Iceland!

The weather was insane. We saw hail, rain, snow, and bright sun all in one day.


Over the course of our travels, we saw the Northern Lights twice. The first time they were just little flashes of green from the sky. The second time it was a full on light show with green swirls playing around the stars. It was absolutely spectacular.

To start off our trip, we went straight from the airport to the Blue Lagoon. We went to the spa area and lounged in the water, ate lunch at the spa bar, and covered ourselves in masks and clay. It was super luxurious and much needed as the rest of our trip was jam packed with activities.

Our first full day included a super jeep ride to a glacier where we took snow mobiles out for a treacherous ride. There were whiteout conditions and we fell off our vehicle a few times. It was quite the journey!! We ended our adventures in the Secret Lagoon, a natural hot spring, with a few beers.

We took a phenomenal 3-day tour with a private guide of the Snaefellsnes peninsula and the Golden Circle. The entire Golden Circle is highly worth it  - the Geyser, Crater Lake, the lava everywhere. It was breathtaking at every turn.

Additional highlights included:

• Drinking from a naturally carbonated spring
• Drinking from a glacial pool - likely the cleanest water we'll ever drink!
• So many waterfalls!!! (Bjarnafoss, Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, Glanni, Oxararfoss, Gullfoss, and a really amazing one from Game of Thrones that we went off-trail to hike to) 
• Black sand beaches
• Watching sheep get herded on a farm
• Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum (Alex and I both ate the fermented shark but I thought it was completely disgusting)
• Lunch at Krauma

Our accommodations were incredible: Hotel Glymur and Hotel Budir. I cannot recommend Season Tours and our awesome guide, Gunnsi enough. He was the best. 

Upon returning to Rejkyavik, we dined at Dill.

We also took a group tour to the southern part of Iceland. We went for a crazy glacier hike that was much more active and exciting than expected. It was such a rush. I even climbed into a little crevice with my crampons digging into the ice and my ice ax at the ready. We hiked on the glacier until the sun set and turned in for a late dinner.

Our last day of adventure included a boat ride in a glacier lake surrounded by icebergs, a walk along diamond beach, and some seal spotting. We also took a walk around the basalt columns on another black sand beach.

We reserved a bit of time to walk around Reykjavik and explore the beautiful city before flying back to NYC.

Overall, it was like being on another planet. The nature was incredible and we were game for everything that came our way. We surprisingly craved being outside in the biting wind and cold (and sometimes sleet!) and soaked up every minute of our time in this incredible country. 

You've Got My Vote

MY MINDFUL YEAR - NOVEMBER
I voted.



I'm embarrassed to admit that in the past, I haven't always exercised my right to vote. It's particularly shameful for me since my great grandmother was a very involved suffragette. Somehow it always seemed like a hassle and I never felt like I made a difference. Plus, and also embarrassing to admit, I wasn't always informed about the candidates and topics at play.

Sentiments in the country have changed quite a bit since I gained the right to vote back in 2003. Social media exists. The news is constantly being blasted all over the many television stations dedicated to it plus the internet. Political parties have become more polarized. There are a lot of hot topics our government is making decisions about. And the list goes on and on.

For the first time, I did a whole bunch of research about the candidates on my ballot. It felt good to be informed of the representatives in my area. And it felt good to care about my community, my country, and about making the world a fairer place.

Family Vacation

My brother got engaged over the summer in Disney World. He and his fiance, Flavia, traveled there for a little getaway and it made me think of family vacations.

My last family vacation with my mom, dad, and brother was to Universal Studios after I'd graduated from my master's program all the way back in 2011. It was the last time the 4 of us (my mom, dad, brother, and myself) spent a serious amount of time all together. We had a great time and it makes me sad to think that the magic of my nuclear family only exists in my memories now.

This past spring, Alex's first cousin, David, graduated from Swarthmore College and accepted a job in Hong Kong. So when we were given the opportunity to spend some time with him and his immediate family before he took off for the other side of the world, we immediately said yes.

It felt great to spend time with Alex's family. His uncle lives in Peru and his cousin Pauline lives in New Jersey, which might as well be Peru since we don't have a car. The weekend was jam-packed with family activities. A tour of the campus followed by a small ceremony and dinner upon arrival. A full morning of commencement followed by a family lunch that lasted well into the afternoon.

We did still manage to fit in a bit of time to ourselves with a special dinner for just us two. And before we drove back to NYC, we spent a morning at the Longwood Gardens. Plus we stayed at the most adorable inn!

I've come to realize how important family vacations are. They're the one time you get to enjoy each other's unfettered attention. You learn to adapt to changing weather, schedules, and unknown surprises together. And best of all, you create beautiful memories that you take with you for many years to come.

I can only hope family vacations go as smoothly as the one we had with Alex's uncle and cousins. I loved that (for the most part) we left our phones at home and just enjoyed each other's company. Because a family vacation that looks like the one below would be my absolute worst nightmare.